This invention relates to firearms, and more particularly to firearms of the cartridge firing type in which the center of gravity of the empty or spent cartridge case is relatively close to the rear thereof. Such cartridge cases are difficult to eject from the weapon after the firing thereof by conventional means such as rigid fixed ejectors or spring loaded ejectors. The cartridge case of the 30 mm Semiautomatic Grenade launcher recently developed by the Department of the Army utilizes a cartridge case with a center of gravity far to the rear thereof as well as a non-locking bolt. The use of conventional ejectors of the types described was not feasible with this grenade launcher because a conventional spring loaded ejector in which a helical ejector spring is carried within a hollow bolt would tend to push the bolt out of battery before firing because of the non-locking bolt feature. Further, a conventional fixed ejector, for example a metal pin mounted in the weapon's receiver in the path of the rearward motion of the case following firing, can impart a high rotational velocity to the case to effect reliable ejection; however such rigid metallic ejectors often deform the cartridge cases. This deformation reduces the kinetic energy imparted to the case and thus makes ejection less reliable, and also damages the cases which otherwise may be reused.